Two Key Packers Coach Departures Could Shake Up Staff
The Green Bay Packers are 6-3 as they prepare for their crucial showdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 11. While the Packers are fully focused on the final stretch of the season and the playoffs, not every team is as lucky.
Plenty of teams around the NFL have already started thinking about the offseason. The teams that have disappointed so far or fallen out of the postseason race are looking ahead to 2025.
This means that there will be teams looking to uproot their coaching staff and hire new head coaches. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated made a long list of head coaching candidates for 2025 and beyond. Two Packers coordinators were among the names mentioned to get their first head coaching gigs.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley were both named among the 27 top candidates to land a head coaching job in the offseason.
"Stenavich is a non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Green Bay, but is integral in the team’s week-to-week planning process. His promotion to offensive coordinator was the first in a small wave of similar moves done by other teams in an effort to retain and develop talented offensive line coaches who have intimate knowledge of the Shanahan-style scheme. "
Since getting hired by Matt LaFleur in 2019, Stenavich has been an integral part of the Packers' offense. He made the jump to offensive coordinator in 2022, the team has had a top-15 offense in all three seasons. So far this season, the Packers are ranked ninth in the league offensively.
"Hafley was bowl eligible in three of his four seasons before coming to Green Bay and finally becoming the answer Matt LaFleur was searching for after a seemingly endless search for a defensive coordinator. The 45-year-old has one of the deepest libraries of both pro and collegiate experience of any candidate on this list. "
Based on their resume and track record, Hafley may have even more of a shot at head coaching in the immediate future. He has a very good reputation around the league and was already a head coach at Boston College before joining Green Bay. This season, he has transformed the Packers' defense and made a name for himself.
With so many head coaching candidates and few openings, most of these names will stay with their current teams or will find other coordinator positions. Hopefully, the Packers will be able to retain these two key coaches.
